Electronic Device Comprising Display and Screen Operation Method Thereof

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/096,298, filed on Jan. 12, 2023, which is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/KR2021/010285 designating the United States, filed on Aug. 4, 2021, in the Korean Intellectual Property Receiving Office and claiming priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0097420, filed on Aug. 4, 2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

The disclosure relates to an electronic device including a display and a screen operation method thereof.

An electronic device including a flexible display is provided in various form factors. A scheme where the shape of the electronic device is deformed according to the form factor of the electronic device may vary from infolding, outfolding, rolling, or sliding. A display used to display content may be changed or the size of the display may be changed, according to the scheme where the shape is deformed.

In the past, there was no product of a form factor which provides a mode for displaying content on an external display (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD)) in a V-shaped form where an electronic device including a foldable display (hereinafter referred to as a foldable electronic device) is not fully folded or unfolded when the foldable electronic device is in-folded.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide an electronic device that addresses a problem in which the screen is vertically fixed and displayed although the foldable electronic device changes to a mode for displaying content on the display in a V-shaped form where the foldable electronic device is not fully folded or unfolded (hereinafter referred to as a flex mode) as the foldable electronic device is folded, when a screen rotation setting is a portrait fixing mode in a state where the foldable electronic device is fully unfolded.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide an electronic device that addresses a problem in which the foldable electronic device does not provide a home screen in a landscape mode in a mode for displaying content on an external display among the flex modes.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide an electronic device that addresses a problem in which the foldable electronic device does not provide a lock screen in a landscape mode, upon screen timeout (when an inactivity state of the display is maintained during a specified time) while the foldable electronic device runs the application in a flex tent mode.

According to an example embodiment, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device may include: a display, a sensor configured to sense geometric deformation of the electronic device, at least one processor, and a memory operatively connected with the at least one processor to store at least one application. The memory may include one or more instructions which, when executed, cause the at least one processor to: control the display to display an execution screen of the at least one application on the display in response to execution of the at least one application stored in the memory, identify a setting of a rotation mode of the electronic device, obtain display feature information of the display in response to a geometric deformation event sensed by the sensor, determine a display mode of the execution screen, based on the display feature information and the identified setting of the rotation mode, and map the determined display mode to the at least one application, and control the display to display the execution screen on the display based on on the mapped display mode.

According to an example embodiment, a screen operation method of an electronic device including a display is provided. The screen operation method may include: displaying an execution screen of at least one application on the display in response to execution of the at least one application, identifying a setting of a rotation mode of the electronic device, obtaining display feature information of the display in response to a geometric deformation event sensed by a sensor, determining a display mode of the execution screen, based on the display feature information and the identified setting of the rotation mode and mapping the determined display mode to the at least one application, and displaying the execution screen on the display based on the mapped display mode.

According to various example embodiments disclosed in the disclosure, the electronic device may provide the screen in a landscape mode as the electronic device changes to a flex mode to improve user experience, when a screen rotation setting is a portrait fixing mode in a state where the foldable electronic device is fully unfolded.

Furthermore, according to various example embodiments disclosed in the disclosure, the electronic device may provide a home screen in the landscape mode particularly in a mode for displaying content on an external display among the flex modes of the foldable electronic device, thus improving user experience.

Furthermore, according to various example embodiments disclosed in the disclosure, the electronic device may provide a lock screen in the landscape mode, when the screen timed out while the foldable electronic device runs the application in a flex tent mode, thus improving user experience.

In addition, various effects ascertained directly or indirectly through the disclosure may be provided.

With regard to description of drawings, the same or similar reference numbers may be used for the same or similar components.

is a block diagram illustrating an example electronic devicein a network environmentaccording to various embodiments. Referring to, the electronic devicein the network environmentmay communicate with an electronic devicevia a first network(e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or at least one of an electronic deviceor a servervia a second network(e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay communicate with the electronic devicevia the server. According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay include a processor, memory, an input module, a sound output module, a display module, an audio module, a sensor module, an interface, a connecting terminal, a haptic module, a camera module, a power management module, a battery, a communication module, a subscriber identification module (SIM), or an antenna module. In various embodiments, at least one of the components (e.g., the connecting terminal) may be omitted from the electronic device, or one or more other components may be added in the electronic device. In various embodiments, some of the components (e.g., the sensor module, the camera module, or the antenna module) may be implemented as a single component (e.g., the display module).

The processormay execute, for example, software (e.g., a program) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic devicecoupled with the processor, and may perform various data processing or computation. According to an embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or computation, the processormay store a command or data received from another component (e.g., the sensor moduleor the communication module) in volatile memory, process the command or the data stored in the volatile memory, and store resulting data in non-volatile memory. According to an embodiment, the processormay include a main processor(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)), or an auxiliary processor(e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that is operable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor. For example, when the electronic deviceincludes the main processorand the auxiliary processor, the auxiliary processormay be adapted to consume less power than the main processor, or to be specific to a specified function. The auxiliary processormay be implemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor.

The auxiliary processormay control at least some of functions or states related to at least one component (e.g., the display module, the sensor module, or the communication module) among the components of the electronic device, instead of the main processorwhile the main processoris in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processorwhile the main processoris in an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor(e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., the camera moduleor the communication module) functionally related to the auxiliary processor. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor(e.g., the neural processing unit) may include a hardware structure specified for artificial intelligence model processing. An artificial intelligence model may be generated by machine learning. Such learning may be performed, e.g., by the electronic devicewhere the artificial intelligence is performed or via a separate server (e.g., the server). Learning algorithms may include, but are not limited to, e.g., supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning. The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers. The artificial neural network may be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), deep Q-network or a combination of two or more thereof but is not limited thereto. The artificial intelligence model may, additionally or alternatively, include a software structure other than the hardware structure.

The memorymay store various data used by at least one component (e.g., the processoror the sensor module) of the electronic device. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., the program) and input data or output data for a command related thereto. The memorymay include the volatile memoryor the non-volatile memory.

The programmay be stored in the memoryas software, and may include, for example, an operating system (OS), middleware, or an application.

The input modulemay receive a command or data to be used by another component (e.g., the processor) of the electronic device, from the outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device. The input modulemay include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output modulemay output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device. The sound output modulemay include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record. The receiver may be used for receiving incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display modulemay visually provide information to the outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device. The display modulemay include, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector and control circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display, hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the display modulemay include a touch sensor adapted to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor adapted to measure the intensity of force incurred by the touch.

The audio modulemay convert a sound into an electrical signal and vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio modulemay obtain the sound via the input module, or output the sound via the sound output moduleor a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly coupled with the electronic device.

The sensor modulemay detect an operational state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic deviceor an environmental state (e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device, and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor modulemay include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

The interfacemay support one or more specified protocols to be used for the electronic deviceto be coupled with the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interfacemay include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

A connecting terminalmay include a connector via which the electronic devicemay be physically connected with the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device). According to an embodiment, the connecting terminalmay include, for example, a HDMI connector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic modulemay convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus which may be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinesthetic sensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic modulemay include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electric stimulator.

The camera modulemay capture a still image or moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera modulemay include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management modulemay manage power supplied to the electronic device. According to an embodiment, the power management modulemay be implemented as at least part of, for example, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The batterymay supply power to at least one component of the electronic device. According to an embodiment, the batterymay include, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, a secondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication modulemay support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic deviceand the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device, the electronic device, or the server) and performing communication via the established communication channel. The communication modulemay include one or more communication processors that are operable independently from the processor(e.g., the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired) communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication modulemay include a wireless communication module(e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module(e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules may communicate with the external electronic device via the first network(e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™, wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or the second network(e.g., a long-range communication network, such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separate from each other. The wireless communication modulemay identify and authenticate the electronic devicein a communication network, such as the first networkor the second network, using subscriber information (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module.

The wireless communication modulemay support a 5G network, after a 4G network, and next-generation communication technology, e.g., new radio (NR) access technology. The NR access technology may support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), or ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC). The wireless communication modulemay support a high-frequency band (e.g., the mmWave band) to achieve, e.g., a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication modulemay support various technologies for securing performance on a high-frequency band, such as, e.g., beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (massive MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wireless communication modulemay support various requirements specified in the electronic device, an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device), or a network system (e.g., the second network). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication modulemay support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for implementing eMBB, loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for implementing mMTC, or U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for each of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or a round trip of 1 ms or less) for implementing URLLC.

The antenna modulemay transmit or receive a signal or power to or from the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of the electronic device. According to an embodiment, the antenna modulemay include an antenna including a radiating element including a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). According to an embodiment, the antenna modulemay include a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas). In such a case, at least one antenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communication network, such as the first networkor the second network, may be selected, for example, by the communication module(e.g., the wireless communication module) from the plurality of antennas. The signal or the power may then be transmitted or received between the communication moduleand the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiating element may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module.

According to various embodiments, the antenna modulemay form a mmWave antenna module. According to an embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, a RFIC disposed on a first surface (e.g., the bottom surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the first surface and capable of supporting a designated high-frequency band (e.g., the mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas) disposed on a second surface (e.g., the top or a side surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the second surface and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of the designated high-frequency band.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutually and communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic deviceand the external electronic devicevia the servercoupled with the second network. Each of the electronic devicesormay be a device of a same type as, or a different type, from the electronic device. According to an embodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronic devicemay be executed at one or more of the external electronic devices,, or. For example, if the electronic deviceshould perform a function or a service automatically, or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device, instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service, may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or the service. The one or more external electronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least part of the function or the service requested, or an additional function or an additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome of the performing to the electronic device. The electronic devicemay provide the outcome, with or without further processing of the outcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used, for example. The electronic devicemay provide ultra low-latency services using, e.g., distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In an embodiment, the external electronic devicemay include an internet-of-things (IoT) device. The servermay be an intelligent server using machine learning and/or a neural network. According to an embodiment, the external electronic deviceor the servermay be included in the second network. The electronic devicemay be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology or IoT-related technology.

According to an example embodiment, the electronic device may be a foldable electronic device including a foldable display. Hereinafter, a description will be given of a fully folded state and a fully unfolded state of the foldable electronic device.

is a diagramillustrating a fully folded state and a fully unfolded state of a foldable electronic device according to various embodiments.

Referring to, an electronic device(e.g., an electronic deviceof) may include a first housing, a second housing, and a hinge. According to an embodiment, the first housingand the second housingmay be connected by the hinge. According to an embodiment, the first housingand the second housingmay be geometrically deformed as mutual arrangement around the hingevaries. For example, the first housingand the second housingmay be arranged at a specific angle of greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 180° around the hinge. Hereinafter, an operation of the electronic device, in which the specific angle formed by the first housingand the second housingdecreases, may be referred to as a folding operation, and an operation of the electronic device, in which the specific angle increases, may be referred to as an unfolding operation.

According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay include a first displayand a second display. According to an embodiment, the first displaymay be disposed on the first housing, and the second displaymay be disposed on the first housingand the second housing. According to an embodiment, the first displayand the second displaymay be arranged on the first housingand the second housingto face in an opposite direction to each other.

According to an embodiment, the second displaymay be provided as a flexible display. According to an embodiment, the second displaymay be folded by the folding operation of the electronic deviceand may be unfolded by the unfolding operation of the electronic device.

A first drawingofis a diagram illustrating a state where the electronic deviceis fully folded. A second drawingofis a diagram illustrating a state where the electronic deviceis fully unfolded. According to an embodiment, an angle formed by the first housingand the second housingis 0 degree in the state where the electronic deviceis fully folded, and an angle formed by the first housingand the second housingis 180 degrees in the state where the electronic deviceis fully unfolded.

Referring to the first drawingof, the electronic devicemay display content using the first displayin the fully folded state. Referring to the second drawingof, the electronic devicemay display content using the second displayin the fully unfolded state. Although not illustrated in, the electronic devicemay display content using at least one of the first displayor the second displaydepending on the angle formed by the first housingand the second housing.

According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay display an execution screen of an application, a home screen, a lock screen, or an always on display (AOD) screen on the first displayand the second displayby means of a processor (e.g., a processorof) of the electronic device.

Hereinafter, a description will be given of a flex mode of the foldable electronic devicewith reference to.

is a diagramillustrating perspective views of various examples of a flex mode of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

Referring to, as an electronic deviceis folded or unfolded, an angle θ formed by a first housingand a second housingmay be changed. According to an embodiment, the angle formed by the first housingand the second housingmay be otherwise referred to as a folding angle of the electronic deviceor a folding angle of the second display. According to an embodiment, the flex mode of the electronic devicemay refer to a state where the folding angle belongs to a specified angle range of greater than 0 degree and less than 180 degrees. According to an embodiment, the flex mode may be a half-folded state or a partially folded state, rather than a fully folded state in a first drawingofand a fully unfolded state in a second drawingof.

According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay be used in a state, such as a first stateor a second state, where one surface of the second housingis placed on a flat surface such as a table. According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay determine whether to use a first displayor the second displaydepending on the folding angle. According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay display content using the second display, when it is greater than or equal to a specified angle like the first state, and may display the content using the first display, when it is less than the specified angle like the second state. In various embodiments of the disclosure, a flex mode of the second statemay be referred to as a flex cover mode.

According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay be used in a state, such as a third state, where an edge parallel to an edge connected with the hingeamong four edges surrounding a display of the first housingand an edge parallel to an edge connected with the hingeamong four edges surrounding a display of the second housingare placed on a flat surface such as a table. According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay display content using the first display, the display area of which is visible to the outside, like the third state. In various embodiments of the disclosure, a flex mode of the third statemay be referred to as a flex tent mode.

According to an embodiment, the edge connected with the hingeamong the edges of the first housingmay be placed on the bottom and the edge parallel to the edge connected with the hingemay be placed on the top in the flex cover mode. The edge connected with the hingeamong the edges of the first housingmay be placed on the top and the edge parallel to the edge connected with the hingemay be placed on the bottom in the flex tent mode. For example, when displaying a screen in a landscape mode in the flex mode, the electronic devicemay change from the flex cover mode to the flex tent mode or may change from the flex tent mode to the flex cover mode, thus inverting and displaying the screen displayed on the first display.